Survival 101
by uscfbfan
Summary: Bella is a successful writer for Thrive magazine, who got an assignment that shakes up her world. Edward is a coal miner in West Virginia in a self-imposed exile with a past that he wishes to forget. AH/AU/ somewhat OOC. Give it a try, read and review.


_**Survival 101**_

Prologue:

Isabella Swan moved through the streets of Seattle sipping her skinny vanilla latte feeling completely confident in herself. _Yes, Starbucks was her personal savior. _Bella smiled and stared up into the sky, thanking God for the man that invented Starbucks. She was going to marry him one day.

She stopped by the fountain that was perched outside the Cullen Building and sighed. She took out a quarter and kissed it then flipped it quickly into the fountain. She knew, just knew that something good was going to happen today.

"You seem self-assured today," Alice Cullen commented. Alice was Bella's exact opposite. Alice was the life of the party, and well, Bella was the first to admit she would rather be off to the side. She definitely didn't like any kind of attention.

"Happy birthday Alice." Bella smiled as she handed her best friend a caramel macchiato.

"Thanks, you didn't have to get me a coffee, but I appreciate it." Alice drank up relishing the coffee concoction. Alice smiled, silently thanking the Starbucks God again.

Alice stopped and stared up at the skyscraper that was her second home. She remembered many nights that she and her brothers would be running around her mother's design studio, playing Duck Duck Goose or some other silly childhood game. _God she missed those days - she missed her brother._ She wondered idly if he would remember to call her today.

"You know, I never get tired looking at this building. I can't believe that Edward just packed up and walked away from all this," Alice commented quietly.

Bella had met Alice on her first day of starting _Thrive _magazine. Alice was the fashion editor for the magazine and co-owner of the building. She walked on her first day wearing a suit that she had just bought at Johnston's, thinking that she was looking pretty sharp. Alice however, did not feel the same way and quickly fixed the situation. They had been best friends ever since.

"I never met Edward, did I?" Bella asked.

"Nope," she answered popping the p. "Mom misses him terribly; she wishes he would just come home. Dad is still really mad at him too, but I know that he misses him. No one really talks about him much. I really do miss him though."

They walked into the building heading up the elevator to the 32nd floor. Bella held her breath as the door opened, exhaling quickly as they both stepped out.

"See me before you head over to the staff meeting. I think I have something in the designer's closet that would look fabulous on you," Alice called out before making her way to the fashion area.

Bella sighed. She knew that if she didn't stop by that Alice would never let her hear the end of it. She sat down in resignation and flipped open her laptop to email her column that she had finished the previous night. She took a sip of her latte again, knowing, just knowing, that something good was going to come her way today.

She glanced at the clock, hitting the send button after putting the finishing touches on her column and made her way over to Alice. Alice had an outfit sitting on her desk waiting for her, and knowing when not to fight. Bella quickly changed and made her way to the meeting.

She stared wistfully out the window, listening to the sounds of Seattle traffic whiz on by as the editor droned on about revenue and sales. The marketing people took quite a lashing, and Bella for one, was grateful that she was not on the receiving end of that. She watched as Alice and the fashion team left, as they were no longer needed in the meeting, wishing that Angela would just get on with the meeting already.

"Okay guys, I'm sure all of you were listening when I said we needed to help out the marketing department and give them something more to market. We can't be the average run of the mill magazine. We need to stand out, so with that being said, I have some new assignments for everyone."

Angela smiled, passing each person a black folio.

"Angela, are you for real? I get to interview the governor's wife about the affair she had!" Lauren screamed with excitement.

"Yep. You have proven yourself over the past six months here. I thought your last piece was phenomenal."

Bella felt her stomach sink a little bit. Everyone had been trying to get that story, and now a mediocre writer was going to get it. She felt her confidence fade a little as she opened her folio.

"What the hell!" Bella looked furious. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Bella, I can explain. We will talk after the meeting, okay?"

"Fine." She seethed as she waited for her turn to rip her boss a new one.

She followed Angela quietly into the office, being followed by Jake and Seth. She turned and looked at them, wondering why they were going in as well. Angela took her seat, and motioned for Bella to do the same.

"Lauren is a mediocre writer, and you know that!" Bella hissed.

"Bella, I made my decisions, I need you on board with me on this one. We have to get _Thrive's _sales up, or we are all toast here."

"I quit." Bella went to stand. She wasn't going to put up with it anymore. She put herself out there again and again and it just wasn't worth it anymore to her.

"Hear me out, please Bella." Angela was on the verge of begging. She knew that Bella wasn't going to be too happy about this assignment, but she was going to try her best to sell her on it. She couldn't lose her best writer, but Lauren would do just fine working with the Governor's wife.

"You want me to do write-ups on the world's most dangerous jobs? Are you freakin kidding me!"

"Yes," Angela answered low and evenly. "You guys are going undercover mostly, that way you get the real feel for what the job is. I want you to infiltrate the groups, get to know the guys or girls on the job. I want you to get to know what their families go through. Think of it as a documentary. For the next month, you will be Izzy Dwyer, search and rescue trainee."

Jake and Seth finally started laughing.

"Boss, you do know that _Izzy_ can't even walk in a straight line without hurting herself," Jake choked out.

Bella glared at them. "Get out the both of you!"

They stood there, trying desperately to contain their laughter.

"I know. This is why you guys are going with her. You are to keep her safe. Give her the male perspective on the job."

"I don't need a babysitter," Bella replied angrily, even though she knew it was a fairly known fact that she would trip on air. But in her defense she had done many things that would be considered adventurous. "Besides I have done plenty of exciting things in my life. I have a motorcycle, I've gone parasailing, and I've scaled a mountain, gone base jumping -"

"That is precisely my point Bella. You are the only woman staffer who can pull this assignment off. You can do this," Angela pleaded with her as she dismissed the guys.

"Do I get a raise?"

"5% raise," Angela answered automatically.

"Lodging?"

"_Thrive _will pay for your lodging and transportation, so the only thing you are responsible for is your food."

"Holidays?" Bella persisted on, pushing her luck slightly.

"We will fly you back to visit your father on all major holidays, and you get to keep whatever money you make on the job there. Bells, it's a win- win situation."

"I fly first class only."

"Fine, now go pack. You have to be in West Virginia tomorrow evening."

"Fine." Bella stood to leave. "What about my advice column?"

"You are still going to be writing it, only I will be selecting the letters now."

Bella nodded, leaving the office. She looked over at Seth and Jake. "Come on you two, we have to pack. Tomorrow we will be in West Virginia."

It may not have been what Bella was expecting, but she was going to do the best she could with the hand she was given.

**********

Edward sat on the rug that was in front of his sparsely furnished apartment in Logan, West Virginia. It was a far cry from the lap of luxury that he had been accustomed to for his entire life, but it was a welcomed changed. He _needed_ the change. He sighed, kicking back and drinking Bud Light that he had picked up on his way home from work that day.

He looked into the mirror and stared at his eyes, which were covered by glasses and colored contact. His had grown out his hair and grew a goatee. With his months at the coal mine, his body had become leaner, more muscular. He didn't think that his mother would even recognize him now. Edward did everything he could to hide himself from the public eye, to keep himself from messing up again.

He did everything to assert his independence, to make it on his own.

He needed to prove that he wasn't the man that Gossip made him out to be, and not just to himself, but to his family as well.

He laughed to himself, knowing that his father's company Cullen Enterprises was still paying him a paycheck.

Well not him exactly, but Anthony Masen. He was surprised that corporate hadn't caught him yet. It made him sad to know that he was right under their noses, and they hadn't even tried to look yet.

He looked up at the calendar and groaned, he picked up his prepaid cell phone and dialed.

The phone rang three times before a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"Happy birthday Ali."

Edward smiled upon hearing his sister's voice. Out of everyone in his family he missed his sister something fierce. It wasn't that he didn't love them all, he did, but him and Alice has a special connection with her being only 11 months older than him. They were best friends.

"Edward!"

He could hear her smiling through the phone. "So what do you want for your birthday?"

"I want you to come home."

"Ali, I'm not ready." An uncomfortable silence passed before Edward spoke again. "So what are you up to?"

"I'm at Mom and Dad's. We are having a huge family celebration. Jasper is meeting them for the first time."

"They will love him."

A loud knock on the door caused Edward to end the conversation much too quickly with his sister. He smiled, seeing the guys from the coal mines.

"Come on Tony. We have to get Moose drunk. He just proposed to Molly, and she said yes!"

Edward grabbed his utility jacket and joined the guys for a night out at Maggie's. He stepped into the night and heard the sound of an airplane flying over the Appalachian Mountains. He stared up at plane, wondering who was on the plane, and what they too were running from, wondering if one day he would be able to face his past and go back home.

************

Bella groaned, stepping out of the Jeep that she had rented for her tenure in Logan, West Virginia. It was a long drive from Charleston, and she was completely exhausted, but she could say the same thing for Jake and Seth. They had passed out quickly after Bella had taken to the open road, and she was greeted by the sounds of their chorus of snoring.

She was glad they had allowed her to drive. It gave her a change to think, really think about the assignment that was entrusted to her. Bella wondered how she was going to approach the story, but figured she would have plenty of time to figure it out.

She stretched her legs, taking in the town around her. It was a picturesque, little town with tree-line streets and a Mast General Store. It reminded her of the town that she was born in.

"Izzy, do you smell that?" Jake asked, bouncing out of the jeep.

"Yeah Jake, its called fall. You know, the crisp, clean air."

"Autumn is a great season," Seth replied, getting the bags out of the car.

"Autumn is my favorite time of year. The air is cleaner and cooler, hinting at the wonderful things to come. It kicks off my favorite season -" Bella was going to continue, however she was interrupted.

"Football season!" Seth screamed, picking Bella up and swinging her around him effortlessly.

"Seth, Charlie will have your ass if you hurt his little girl."

"Naw." He smiled. "I'm his favorite child."

Bella laughed, watching them carry the bags up the stairs. She was grateful that Angela had decided to send Jake and Seth with. She and Jake had been best friends forever. Seth had always been her friend, but after their parents got married, it just solidified Seth's intense need to protect her. Bella suspected that Seth would have never let her come on this assignment alone.

They had apartments that were right next to each other, which was a relief to Bella. She didn't want to live with them, but she wanted them to be close enough to get to them if something were to happen. There were many horror movies that started off in small town in West Virginia.

Bella settled in quickly since her apartment was mostly furnished to begin with. She found a small desk in the corner of the living room, which she quickly set up for her office. She pulled out the picture she brought from home and set it next to her computer.

It was a picture of her and her father from when she was 9 years old. It was her birthday and he had just taken her on her first hayride. She had hay all in her hair and she was missing several teeth. She missed those days. Those days were so much simpler, easier. Lately, all they had been doing was fighting about the little things. Maybe this break was exactly what they needed from each other.

She wondered if she could call him, but she quickly dismissed it, and hooked up her iPod, jamming out to her "mmm bop" mix. She started singing "Banana Pancakes" at the top of her lungs.

"Did someone say banana pancakes?" Jake popped his head through the door.

"Bella, I'm hungry," Seth whined. "Sis, can I have some banana pancakes?"

Bella looked up from what she was doing and grinned at the two guys standing in her apartment. "Fine, I'll cook, if you guys clean up."

Silly grins broke out on both of the faces as they gave each other high fives at their triumph. She rolled her eyes as she grabbed her keys off the counter.

"Okay guys, well I'll go to the grocery store. I'll call you when I'm done so you can help me bring it up."

*********

Edward hated grocery shopping with a passion. He strolled up and down the aisle not really knowing what he was looking for. The previous night hadn't been all that great. The same girls hit on him, and each time, he let them down gently. He was still considered the new guy in town, but from what he understood he wasn't going to be the new guy for long. Three people had just moved into his apartment complex.

Thank God, he hoped that it would get people off of his back.

He went down the aisle toward the cereal, trying to pick out what he wanted, Special K or Lucky Charms. Definitely Lucky Charms, he thought to himself. He set it in the basket and continued down the aisle.

"Hey Tony!"

He looked up and saw Troy standing in the produce section.

"Troy, how was the hangover?"

"Brutal."

"How was Vanessa?"

"I don't know. I walked her home and that was it," Edward answered him truthfully. Vanessa was a wonderful girl, but she reminded him of everyone he left back home, fake. All he wanted was something real. "Vanessa just doesn't do it for me."

"Then how about her?"

Edward looked to see where Troy's attention was drawn. He watched as she bounced up and down the produce aisle stopping at the bananas. She appeared to be singing softly to herself, but then he saw her iPod. She was singing as she was checking out the bananas. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

Edward took her in, from head to toe. She was perfect all the way from her ponytail all the way down to her pedicured toes. She was wearing a yellow ribbed tank top with a short jean skirt that fell to mid thigh.

He sighed and walked away singing softly to himself thinking of the mystery woman in the store.

She was real; she was perfect.


End file.
